Think about that, though - the point of IPv6 is that we have essentially unlimited IP addresses. So, each fridge, thermostat and toaster gets its own, and presumably, the manufacturer takes some precautions not to connect data with the identity of the owner, so that's another step.

How is it feasible to exploit such a system for data mining of what I eat or my favorite indoor temp? Again, risk vs effort vs reward.

The data/identity thieves are indeed a major threat, but the data MINERS can be far more insideous-- especially if they report to insurance companies. Criminals may go after large amounts of money from a small group of people, but legitimate businesses can be content with 1% more, as long as it's from hundreds of thousands of people.

I would go so far as to say that the IoT stiffles innovation. Connecting people prompted the communications revolution, but connecting machines doesn't do the same. Most of what machines have to tell us isn't that valuable, yet companies see such connectivity as comparable to the importance of the Internet and the Web. It's not.

As InformationWeek Government readers were busy firming up their fiscal year 2015 budgets, we asked them to rate more than 30 IT initiatives in terms of importance and current leadership focus. No surprise, among more than 30 options, security is No. 1. After that, things get less predictable.